


We Could Be Enough

by sunshinexbomb



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Trades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 11:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13433757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinexbomb/pseuds/sunshinexbomb
Summary: Getting waived is not a surprise.Nathan may be a bit worried. But definitely not surprised.--In which Nathan goes to Edmonton but the only place he wants to be is home with Braden.





	We Could Be Enough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [savedby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/savedby/gifts).



> For Julija who I love very much!!!!!! I hope you enjoy this.
> 
> Thank you to Kassie and Gabs for the quick beta and pointing out I don't know how time zones work. All other mistakes are my own.

Getting waived is not a surprise.

Nathan may be a bit worried. But definitely not surprised.

“What if I get claimed?”

And Braden laughs, just a quirk of a smile. Nathan thinks he’s worried too. “That’s presumptuous.”

They’re sitting in Braden’s living room together when the news breaks. Nathan doesn’t remember the last time he’d spent any time at the hotel where the call-ups have been staying. Not when Braden has this huge house all to himself, a house Nathan is familiar with and always has Nathan’s favorite kind of tea and Braden’s home-cooked meals and _Braden_ looking impossibly soft and cozy when he’s curled up on the couch.

Nathan’s going to miss this place if he makes it through to Hershey. He’s going to miss it even more if he ends up in fucking, like, Buffalo or something.

“It’s not _that_ presumptuous,” Nathan says. He knows what that means because it was in the crossword Braden was doing a few weeks ago at the breakfast table. It was the first time Nathan had ended up spending the night at Braden’s since the one summer they’d spent together. Nathan hasn’t really left since.

Braden rolls his eyes but when he tangles his fingers with Nathan’s, his hands are shaking a little. It’s weird to see him on edge. “If you get claimed, then we’ll figure it out. We’ll make it work.”

He says it with enough confidence that Nathan believes him.

\--

Nathan does get claimed. It’s not Buffalo, but it is fucking Edmonton.

“They couldn’t have picked somewhere farther?” Nathan grumbles, hastily packing his bags, trying to collect his things which have somehow been strewn across every corner of Braden’s house.

“Hey,” Braden grabs his shoulder and Nathan lets the pair of socks in his hand fall into his duffle bag. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to go there and play your heart out and show them you’re worth keeping around.”

Braden kisses him, soft and reassuring in its familiarity. Nathan sinks against him and lays his head on Braden’s shoulder for a second when they part. 

Neither of them say anything because there’s not much to say. Nathan wants to say _I’ll miss you_ but he’s pretty sure Braden already knows. 

Braden kisses the top of Nathan’s head, and the two of them continue packing.

\--

Edmonton is really fucking cold. Like, Nathan’s been there before, and he _knows_ it’s cold, but it’s still a shock stepping off the plane.

He meets the team and everyone is nice and friendly and welcoming. The media are already up in his face, excited that now _they’re_ the ones with the only Australian player in the league. Nathan’s tired of feeling like a novelty. He just wants to play hockey.

So Nathan practices with the team (he practices with _Connor McDavid_ and he’s honestly never going to get over how he’s here and sharing the ice with people like Ovi and Connor) and he does what Braden told him. He works hard and tries to prove his worth.

Maybe this will be the opportunity for him to finally stick around.

\--

It’s a few days until Nathan has the time to call Braden. He finally has a day to himself, though, just him and the cream-colored walls of his hotel room and it’s as good a time as any.

“Do you miss me?” he asks, mostly joking and Braden laughs loud, his eyes crinkled with it as Nathan watches him over Facetime.

“Not really, I’ve already asked Madison to take your place.”

“You did not,” Nathan says indignantly. “I’m irreplaceable, we both know it.” 

“Hm, sure.”

“I should just hang up on you,” Nathan says and Braden laughs again, making Nathan smile too.

“I do miss you,” he admits. “The house is - lonely.” 

“I know what you mean,” Nathan says, looking around him at his hotel room. It’s so bare and beige and boring. Just like a million others Nathan’s seen before. He hates it.

It’s nice just watching Braden, hearing his voice. It’s not too late in DC, just around dinner time, and Braden is puttering around the kitchen. Nathan tries not to think about the nights he’s spent sitting on the island counter, watching Braden just like this when he was supposed to be helping with dinner. 

It hasn’t even been that long and Nathan’s chest already aches with how much he misses it, misses Braden.

They chat for longer, until it’s getting a bit too late to be up when Braden has practice in the morning. Nathan hates having to say goodbye, and when he lies back in his bed, even his small hotel room feels way too large.

\--

Nathan skates hard every day. He shows off the speed Edmonton claimed him for, he tries to prove that he can battle for the puck and make a mark on a roster that’s surprisingly hard to crack. 

It isn’t enough. 

He barely gets to play. When he does, he walks away with no goals, no assists, just _nothing_.

Every day is the same. He practices and he tries to build chemistry with the team and he calls Braden if he can. He goes back to his too-big and too-empty hotel room and tries not to think about how much this fucking sucks.

And then he gets waived again.

\--

Getting waived isn’t a surprise. Getting re-claimed by the Caps is.

 _I’m coming home_ , he texts Braden right before his flight, and it’s been a long, long time since he’s felt such relief.

\--

Nathan steps off the plane at Reagan and goes straight to the rink. He puts on a familiar white jersey and he’s greeted with hugs and smiles and Ovi clapping him on the back so hard it almost hurts.

He can’t stop smiling the whole afternoon.

“You miss us so much that you have to come back?” Kuzy chirps and Nathan just shrugs.

“I just couldn’t stay away.”

“Welcome home,” Braden says to him as they’re stepping onto ice for the stretch, patting Nathan’s butt with his glove, and his smile puts an extra bit of energy in Nathan that he carries with him while they skate.

\--

Nathan doesn’t even ask before he gets into Braden’s car after practice. They have a flight to catch later that night, heading off to Arizona for a short western road-trip. Nathan’s already packed, but he sits on Braden’s bed and watches him fold t-shirts and pack toiletries into his travel bag. 

“You know I’m probably getting sent back down to Hershey,” Nathan says.

“Why would you ruin this perfectly nice moment we’re having?” Braden asks dryly, but it’s more playful than scolding. “Hershey is a lot closer than Edmonton,” he adds, a bit softer.

“I’m going to make my way back up,” Nathan says, sounding a lot more confident than he feels.

Braden places the last of his stuff in his bag, coming over to stand in front of Nathan. Nathan spreads his legs a little, lets Braden step into the open V of them. His hands are warm when they cup either side of Nathan’s face and Nathan’s breath catches a little when Braden kisses him. It hasn’t been that long, but it definitely feels like forever.

“I know you will,” Braden says, tipping their foreheads together. “You can do this. You deserve it.”

Being back here, being home, being with Braden makes that just a bit easier to believe. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated. Come follow me on twitter or tumblr @tjoshov


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